Field workshop in Libya, Tripoli, April, 23 – 30, 2008On behalf of the organizing committee we are pleased to announce a field work shop in Libya. The scientific session will be held in the Department of Geology at the Libyan Petroleum Institute (LPI), in Tripoli, Libya. The field trip will target the exposed Palaeozoic sections in the Awaynat Wanin area in the Ghadames Basin which is one of three major Palaeozoic basins in Libya.

Detailed information will be given in the second circular.

Deadlines

Return of Preliminary Registration October 31, 2007 Definite Registration Form Abstract December 31, 2007 Submission of Abstracts January 31, 2008

The General Symposia of the IGC will cover all the main Geoscience disciplines, which have been coordinated by colleagues who are also convening a “General Contributions” symposium for their discipline. It is planned to organize a symposium on “Devonian land-sea interaction: evolution of ecosystems and climate” (IGCP 499) in conjunction with the upcomming IGC in Oslo in 2008. This venue is an important event and it is even more important as we recognize and celebrate the UN proclaimed International Year of Planet Earth in Oslo.

From September 1st the Congress web site will be open for registration and submission of abstracts. We would like to encourage scientists to submit contributions to the IGCP 499 session!

F i n a l m e e t i n g of IGCP 497 and IGCP 499, September 30 – October 10, 2008We are pleased to announce the conference “From Gondwana and Laurussia to Pangaea: Dynamics of Oceans and Supercontinents” – 20th Senckenberg-Conference and 2nd Geinitz-Conferenz as a jont meeting of IGCP 497 “The Rheic Ocean: Its Origin, Evolution and Correlatives” and the IGCP 499 “Devonian land sea interactions: evolution of ecosystems and climate” (DEVEC).

Palaeogeography and Supercontinents during Late Precambrian and Palaeozoic times Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoecology Past climate and sea-level changes Neritic-pelagic correlation Land-Sea interactions Diversification of early terrestrial ecosystems Palaeozoic orogenic processes at the northern margin of Gondwana Birth of the Rheic Ocean: Avalonian-Cadomian orogenic processess and Early Palaeozoic rifting at the northern Gondwanan margin Closure of the Rheic Ocean: Palaeozoic drift and the Alleghenian-Variscan orogenic processess during the Pangea configuration Geochronology, Isotope Geology and Provenance Analysis in Late Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic times Place and date

The 20th International Senckenberg Conference will be held in Frankfurt am Main, Senckenberg Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main, Germany from Wednesday, October 1, to Friday, October 3, 2008.

Field Excursions

It is planned to organize a 6 day post-conference excursion (cross section Rheno-Herzynian Zone, Rhenish Massif, Avalonia, Laurussia) Mid-German Crystalline Zone (suture of Rheic Ocean), Saxo-Thuringian Zone (Bohemian Massif, Cadomia, Gondwana). More information will be given in the second circular.